Monster Energy’s Jon ‘Bones’ Jones entered the octagon with a vengeance after a two-year hiatus and regained his light heavyweight title after knocking out Daniel Cormier with a lethal head kick to ground and pound at UFC 214 inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA.

With a dramatic rematch two years in the making, Jones came back with pure aggression, orchestrating a picture-perfect redemption to solidify his status as one of the greatest fighters of all time, and end one of the most bitter rivalries in MMA history. Jones defeated Cormier via unanimous decision at UFC 182 and held the title from 2011 through 2015 until it was stripped from him for disciplinary action and he was suspended from UFC 187, a title defense against Anthony Johnson. Olympic wrestler Cormier replaced Jones for UFC 187 and won the light heavyweight belt.

In April 2016 Jones was ready to regain his title against Daniel Cormier, until Cormier had to withdraw due to an injury – instead Jones beat Saint Preux at UFC 197 for the interim belt, which he declined saying, “it wasn’t the right belt.” Then Jones’ UFC 200 fight against Cormier last July was cancelled after Jones tested positive for banned substances that led to a yearlong suspension. Instead Cormier fought and retained his belt against late replacement Anderson Silva. Fast forward to UFC 214 after much perseverance, leaving his two-year detour behind, Jones made a storybook comeback by finally reclaiming his UFC light heavyweight belt.

For the better half of two rounds Jones (23-1) and Cormier (19-2) didn’t disappoint with a fairly even standup battle filled with crisp strikes and heavy grappling from both men, until Jones ended the night abruptly with a devastating kick and jumped the stunned Cormier to finish him off with a brutal ground and pound assault ending the affair at 3:01 of the third round.

A gracious and emotional Jones accepted his belt, fell to his knees after the announcement of his victory, and humbly accepted his title back by praising his former nemesis Cormier as a ‘model champion.’